Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff sustained serious facial and rib injuries when the three-wheeler Morgan Super 3 car he was driving for the BBC motoring programme Top Gear, rolled over in 2022. Speaking in a Disney+ documentary, Freddie said that despite the trauma, he “remembers everything about it.”
He recalled thinking his face had “come off” and being “frightened” to death. The incident took place on December 13 2022 at Top Gear’s test track at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome in Surrey.
The former Top Gear star has praised the “love and compassion” of NHS staff who cared for him after his car crash at a Top Gear test track. The former international cricketer and current England Lions and Northern Superchargers Men’s coach visited hospital workers who looked after him in the aftermath of the accident, which he described as “the lowest I’ve ever been”.
His surgeon described Flintoff’s case as one of the most complex he has ever seen. He was airlifted to St George’s Hospital in Tooting – a major trauma centre.
Speaking about the care he received, Freddie has said: “I just want to say a massive thank you to all the staff at St George’s. I came here probably the lowest I’ve ever been, in need of help and the expertise, the love, the compassion they showed me was incredible. I’ll be eternally grateful – absolute superheroes.”
Recalling the incident, consultant oral and maxillofacial surgeon Jahrad Haq, said: “I was on call that day and received a phone call from the emergency department consultant. A lot of injuries are managed at a more junior level before escalating, so I knew this one was serious. Of all the trauma cases I’ve seen in over 20 years, this was among the most complex.”
During a documentary about the accident, the sportsman described how he used the split-second decision-making from his cricketing days to try to reduce the impact of the crash. He said he was “pulled face-down on the runway” for about 50 metres under the car.
For months after the crash Freddie disappeared from public view and would leave his house only for medical appointments. During the Disney+ documentary, he spoke about his lowest point.
Freddie shared: “After the accident I didn’t think I had it in me to get through. This sounds awful … part of me wishes I’d been killed. Part of me thinks, I wish I’d died.
“I didn’t want to kill myself. I wouldn’t mistake the two things. I was not wishing, I was just thinking, ‘this would have been so much easier’.
“Now I try to take the attitude that the sun will come up tomorrow and my kids will still give me a hug. I’m probably in a better place now.”
Speaking about the future, Freddie spoke to PA, he told them: “I’m comfortable in what I’m doing now. I really enjoy it. You know, I do the odd TV job but I’m happy.”
The 47-year-old and his wife Rachael have four children: Holly, Corey, Rocky, and Preston. Their eldest is Holly and the youngest is Preston, born in 2019.